Neil Young ~ Mirror Ball (album review) ... When Pearl Jam had Neil Young's love-child!

Style: classic rock, grunge, hard rock
Label: Reprise
Year: 1995
Home: n/a

Members: Neil Young ~ vocals/guitar/pump organ
Mike McCready, Stone Gossard ~ guitar
Jeff Ament ~ bass
Jack Irons ~ drums

Additional: Eddie Vedder ~ backing vocals


This is an interesting modern era NY album if for no other reason than his backing band is Pearl Jam, even including Eddie Vedder doing backing vocals on the radio hit "Peace & Love". The album was recorded live over four days following sharing a stage together. But, you wouldn't necessarily know this is essentially a joint Pearl Jam/NY release, their name absent from the cover for legal reasons, as it does not sound like their debut Ten or anything since, though it shares a producer with Vs. & Vitalogy. They haven't reached to the country feel of NY's band Crazy Horse either to become something they're not. Ironically on Ten Pearl Jam probably had more of a classic rock feel than they do here with mister classic rock himself, which is more a sign of the fact that this is a highly underdeveloped album that includes studio banner & probably a few outtakes that never made it to a formal master take. This is an album of spontaneous playing not intricate layering. Pearl Jam turn in some thick guitar playing that's a perfect match for NY's electrified alter ego, versus the more folksy-country acoustic persona he often presents. The key is that these guys might be an iconic band that helped turn grunge into a national movement, but they're playing with an influential icon & it's not about asserting a dominating personality but enjoying the experience, which goes for NY, too. NY is known for taking musical chances & changes of direction & thankfully isn't trying to over think this latest one to its detriment. NY lets himself wander in that unique NY way enjoying the team-up & has since said he didn't even know who was playing what as he was in a wave of sound in the studio. If you like the free spirit NY this is not a bad release. If you like Pearl Jam ... well, you probably don't think of them in a free spirit way. These are NY's compositions & its essentially his stamp on the music & he takes the lead role without a doubt, meaning it's hard to hear in this the Pearl Jam many of us know, which might be a downfall for some, while the meandering might be a downfall for others, but for those who like a groove that experiments & rides until the moment is finally over going on without boundaries then neither of these things will seem like a downfall. The album is loose, songs are built off of a simple progression, there's nothing tightly wound here with intricate changes as is typical of Pearl Jam, NY turns in cranky solo after cranky solo never holding back & the result is NY at a raw high & perhaps being raw is where he's at his best while Pearl Jam venture into a more experimental jam band mood. Two additional tracks were released under the Pearl Jam name, featuring Vedder, bassist Jeff Ament, drummer Jack Irons & NY on guitar & pump organ, as the companion two song Merkin Ball.

Eddie Vedder ~ Ukulele Songs (album review) ... No guitars allowed!

Style: folk rock, pop
Label: Universal Republic
Year: 2011
Home: Seattle, Washington

Members: Eddie Vedder ~ vocals
Chris Worswick ~ ukulele

Guests: Glen Hansard, Cat Power ~ vocals

Some say that there's no more new music out there as it's all been done, let alone no more surprises ... but the lead singer of one of the father groups of grunge doing a vocal & ukulele albums? That certainly has got to get an award for surprises. & as for being new music ... this is not your father's ukulele album ... nor is it a rock album or a grunge album. Pearl Jam is anything but easy-listening. Classic rock influenced, yes ... though many grunge fans may decry the fact that their movement was helped by a band that drew from Mountain as much as the Sex Pistols. But, if anyone had predicted that frontman EV had a solo album up his sleeve surely the easy-listening emotive acoustic outcome leaves any follow-up predictions in the dust. But, it shouldn't be surprising, really, considering that Pearl Jam has had its share of ballads & pondering moments, albeit against an agitated plugged in background. The thing that's unbelievable here obviously is the choice of instrumentation. There's not an electric instrument in sight nor even any studio tweaking or overdubs. It's a strange yet refreshing moment ... even in comparison to all the great music that has been put out over 2011. One voice, one ukulele. So simple & so powerful. Clicking of plectrum & all. It may not rock but its as intense as anything EV put out with Pearl Jam ... & on that level may rock out even more ... in the deep seated guttural way. Of course, as everyone whose ever listened to Pearl Jam knows & it remains true here on Ukulele Songs, the real secret is EV's deep masculine baritone. In his 40's he may not have the crazy energy or intentions of youth but his voice still retains the same texture that the world fell in love with two decades ago & it's here in pure stark form unencumbered by layers of sound. This is the EV girls dreamed of singing to them alone from the edge of the bed ... or something like that. EV is intimate with this collection of mostly original love songs in a way he could never be with Pearl Jam. Further, it's obvious that he's not trying to show of his singing prowess but just sing a collection of songs that reach into the soul that one might expect coming from Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson versus a grunge rocker. Also deserving mention is Chris Worswick who is a premiere ukulele player showing that the instrument is everything but the toy Tiny Tim might have made us believe. Ukulele Songs will haunt you & you'll be going back numerous times to discover more & more. A masterpiece no doubt on every level. It's hard to make a masterpiece these days.

R.E.M. ~ Collapse Into Now (album review) ... Falling quietly into history!

Style: alt rock
Label: Warner Bros.
Year: 2011
Home: Georgia

Members: Peter Buck ~ guitar/bass/mandolin
Mike Mills ~ bass/guitar/keyboard/b. vocals
Michael Stipe ~ vocals

Additional: Shamarr Allen, Leroy Jones ~ trumpet
Greg Hicks, Craig Klein, Mark Mullins ~ trombone
Kirk M. Joseph, Sr. ~ sousaphone
Jacknife Lee ~ guitar/keyboards
Scott McCaughey ~ guitar/keyboards/accordian/b. vocals
Bill Rieflin ~ drums/bouzouki/keyboards/guitar

Guests: Peaches, Patti Smith, Eddie Vedder, Joel Gibb ~ b. vocals
Lenny Kaye ~ guitar solo

I used to be a fan of R.E.M. but lost interest after Automatic For The People song by song until today when I don't pay attention & couldn't tell you how many albums they've put out since Bill retired from the drumkit & I believe things firmly started to slip for the band. Collapse Into Now didn't bring this once fan back. It only made me wonder what happened to the R.E.M. I once thought was one of the coolest bands on the scene. While this isn't an album I'd give to someone to introduce them to the R.E.M. sound. Critics are calling it a return to form, that is the early underground form not the polished shiny happy Out Of Time period, but that's generally being nice as everyone is tired of having their once favorite band put out sub-par albums. We want R.E.M. to do something good so critics are grasping at anything. Critics are also saying it's a by the numbers return to the fold, so it might be a return but even the nicest critics aren't waving a banner in the air about the band's creativity or originality. R.E.M. has seen better days & better music, though they've done much much worse than Collapse Into Now & critics might be right in saying that R.E.M. are on the way back to becoming a dominating force in music. There's no reason why not. But, honestly, from the first moment of typical ragged guitar strumming clouding the melody behind thick chords to an upbeat song featuring Peaches on backing vocals this is a tough album to get into. If R.E.M. where young this would be clearly labeled a moody angry young man album of inner-demons light on everything but Morrissey-esque melancholy. But, R.E.M. aren't young men & even in the past Michael Stipe let out his inner-demons with more joy than what's on this album. Those accustomed to R.E.M. as an acoustic band with memorable melodies & Stipes voice quirkily riding over the top will feel completely alienated by Collapse Into Now. This is for those looking for a garage sound of thick guitars, while Stipe almost under sings & fades into the background, will find hidden pleasures here on repeated listens. It has its moments & almost a hypnotic quality, particularly since the songs tend to blend into each other, a far different take then Automatic For The People which at times sounded more like a compilation. As for the lyrics ... a key to the attraction to R.E.M. In past albums Stipe shouted, sang, rapped & used his voice as artistically as he wrote his lyrics. At times he even dominated the song, though really R.E.M. should not be seen as a frontman with a band. Here there is a band, not just Stipe with some other guys, but the problem is he almost falls too much into the hypnotic mix. He's so quirky you don't want him to get lost like an old man mumbling to himself. Within the hypnotism there lies some strong sonic moments, subtle melodic touches & some delicate emotional moments, but it takes numerous listens to get there. In this day & age people aren't used to coming to an album over time, particularly since many know R.E.M. for the in your face Out Of Time ... an album even my 66 year old father likes!

Singles Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (comp) (album review) ... The soundtrack to end all soundtracks!

Style: grunge, hard rock
Label: Epic
Year: 1992
Home: Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago


Includes following bands: Alice In Chains

Pearl Jam

Chris Cornell

Soundgarden

The Lovemongers

Mother Love Bone

Mudhoney

Jimi Hendrix Experience

Screaming Trees

Paul Westerberg

Smashing Pumpkins

Grunge is one of the more mysterious musical movements, united by geography not sound. At least when one talks L.A. everyone thinks big hair & glam, while San Francisco brings up images of 60's flower power, New Jersey is synonymous with Springsteen, with New York conjuring up ... well, that's always been questionable outside of the Velvet Underground. When grunge first came to national attention it was via the breakthrough overnight success of Nirvana & Pearl Jam that sound nothing alike let alone other bands in the area. Let alone the Seattle music scene was doing quite well before grunge with the label actually being a mis-representation of the diversity of bands playing there, even the bands labeled as grunge. If anything is grunge it might be Mudhoney & the Screaming Trees with Mother Love Bone being the glam side, if one is limited to nationally known bands. But, what it is or is not put Seattle on the map forever. So, to then make a movie about life in the city, even though it's just another city but with a little more rain & some mountains & lots of coffee, is a bit of an odd thing. Okay, so many residents are known for being laid back poets & artists, but that's not enough to make a movie out of. Though, when it comes to music soundtracks based around a mysterious musical genre that for all intensive purposes was around before it became known & died when Nirvana did, this is one of the best rock/metal soundtracks one could ask for. Actually, if it wasn't for the soundtrack the weakness of the movie would be much more apparent. It's much like Eddie & The Cruisers in this respect. Further, this is probably one of the few compilations where every song is outstanding with no weak links. It has a stellar line-up & thus no excuses: Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Chris Chornell solo & with Soungarden, The Lovemongers featuring Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart, Mother Love Bone, Mudhoney, Jimi Hendrix, Screaming Trees, Paul Westerberg of the Replacements & the Smashing Pumpkins, though the last two are from Minneapolis & Chicago respectively but work incredibly well in the mix let alone ending the album perfectly with the distorted "Drown" by the Pumpkins. With both well known songs & some more obscure ones this very well could be a photograph of 90's Seattle. All it's missing is Nirvana ... surprisingly ... and some lesser known bands. Though, except for Hendrix and Mother Love Bone all the bands were making music at the time Singles was released in theaters with a few bands actually finding a big career boost afterwards. The highlights are many, which is why the album is one of the best selling of soundtracks of the 90's, let alone helped solidify the grunge movement. Highlights include Chris Cornell's haunting acoustic ballad "Seasons" which shows what a great singer he is, the Lovemonger's acoustic take on Led Zeppelin's "Battle Of Evermore" that couldn't even be eclipsed by the future Page/Plant reunion, the under-rated Hendrix gem "May This Be Love" from Are You Experienced, along with songs that would become hits for Mother Love Bone ("Crown Of Thorns"), Pearl Jam ("Breathe", "State Of Love & Trust"), Screaming Trees ("Nearly Lost You") & Alice In Chains ("Would?"). Paul Westerberg's material ("Dyslexic Heart," "Waiting For Somebody") is probably the lightest stuff on the album, being his first solo material & still sounding very Replacements-esque, but it also lends a comic balance to the heavy handedness of Soundgarden ("Birth Ritual") & raw distortions of underdogs Mudhoney ("Overblown"). This is one of those rare compilations where the range of styles paints a complete picture not a broken one of mis-matched music. This will get repeated listens where not a single track will want to be missed.

Pearl Jam ~ Vs. (album review) ... Following up an instant classic!

Style: grunge, hard rock
Label: Epic
Year: 1993
Home: Seattle

Members: Dave Abbruzzese ~ drums
Jeff Ament ~ bass
Stone Gossard ~ rhythm guitar
Mike McCready ~ lead guitar
Eddie Vedder ~ vocals

 

Anyone who expected a sequel to the chart-topping grungy Ten were probably disappointed by this release. But, as the years have foretold, this album set the stage for the Pearl Jam discography where every album is it's own unique world & expectations are thrown out the window. There will never be another Ten & Pearl Jam has too much to say to have it any other way. Vs. is far less polished than Ten & I often feel a lot more unpredictable, though it did reel off the legitimate array of hits "Go", "Daughter", "Animal", "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town", "Dissident" & "Glorified G", so it's unpredictability is far from a detriment. If Ten was considered a highlight of grunge, Vs. could be the raw & gnarly muck that grunge came out of. Ten had shown that the band could make a commercial impact, though more than they ever expected, while Vs. is the more experimental & aggressive side better suited to the clubs they'd become too big to play in with its dense sound of slashing guitars, while a more popular to music fans than big eyed teenage girls looking for the newest heartthrob ... cause no one will deny Eddie Vedder is a heartthrob. While Ten is stuffed with sing-along memorable lyrics perfect for MTV, Vs. focuses more on the music with the lyrics seemingly to get lost in the mix or treated as just another instrument & not the main focus. Sadly, maybe because of this, the album also has less memorable songs than its predecessor, or at least memorable in a different way. It's also an album that takes a few listens to get into, as it's so different than Ten & what we expect from Pearl Jam let alone it's fierce & aggressive. But, after a few listens one might even consider it a far stronger & entertaining album than Ten & more a reflection of the band than a producer or record label. It feels like a live album of a band having creative fun without the inherent weakness of a live setting making Ten seem like a overly controlled band looking for a hit. In the end, as long as one puts aside expectations, Vs. is a worthwhile purchase, but then most Pearl Jam albums are worthwhile additions to any musical collection as there's band quite like Pearl Jam.